The Apostle Paul and His Ministry, By James Moriello, Firm Foundation Christian Church, Woonsocket, RI, 2016
The Apostle Paul and His Ministry, Bible Study Outline
By James Moriello, Firm Foundation Christian Church, Woonsocket, RI, 2016
1. His Name a. Born Saul, “asked for”, common name in Hebrew, as it was a common prayer to ask God for a son b. Became Paul, “little”, denotes humility or physical stature, Acts 13:9 denotes he was known by both names, possibly by birth, if name was changed or added we have no specifics in the Holy Writ 2. His Office a. Apostle, or sent one, commissioned for special service, to Gentiles primarily, but also to the Jews (Acts 9:15) b. Specific sense of the Apostolic office, 1 Corinthians 15:8-9, must be an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ, therefore no Apostles today c. The eleven, Judas Iscariot being disqualified, replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:21-26) d. Paul’s call came out of season, see conversion experience 3. His Background a. Acts 21:39, Jew, from Tarsus, in the Roman province of Cilicia (modern day south-central Turkey) b. Acts 22:28, citizen of Rome by birth, implies father was a citizen c. Acts 22:3, strict and strongly religious upbringing, taught by Gamaliel (Acts 5:34) d. Philippians 3:5-6, Benjamite (tribal identity was still known in these days, up until the destruction of the temple in 70 AD), a Pharisee, diligent to keep the externals of the Old Testament Law, as well as the Oral Law e. Persecutor of Christians (Acts 7:58, 8:1-4, 9:1-2) f. Tentmaker by trade, not a professional clergyman (Acts 18:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 9:14-18) 4. His Conversion Experience a. Acts 9:3-9 b. Acts 22:6-11 c. Acts 26:12-18 d. Apply: value of personal Christian testimony, whatever its nature 5. Paul’s Christian Training a. Approximately ten years b. Galatians 1:15-24 6. Paul’s Missionary Journeys a. Acts 13-14 b. Acts 15-18:22
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The Apostle Paul and His Ministry, By James Moriello, Firm Foundation Christian Church, Woonsocket, RI, 2016
c. Acts 18-21:8 7. Paul’s Later Life a. Jerusalem, Acts 21:17-23:30 b. Caesarea, Acts 23:31-Chapter 26 c. Voyage to and Arrival in Rome, Acts 27-28 d. Paul’s Valedictory, 2 Timothy 4:6-8 e. Paul’s Martyrdom, Philippians 1:21, according to tradition by decapitation, in or near Rome, crucifixion very unlikely due to his being a Roman citizen 8. Paul’s writings, 14 New Testament Books, Approximate Dates of Writing a. Romans 57 AD, 1 Corinthians 55 AD, 2 Corinthians 56 AD, Galatians 52 AD, Ephesians 61 AD, Philippians 61 AD, Colossians 61 AD, 1 Thessalonians 50 AD, 2 Thessalonians 52 AD, 1 Timothy 62 AD, 2 Timothy 64, AD Titus 62 AD, Philemon 62 AD, Hebrews (disputed human authorship) 55 AD –brief summary of each book presented in study b. Early Epistles (Letters), to Specific Churches c. Personal Epistles, to Specific People d. All Epistles, Intended to be circulated amongst all the churches, circular letters e. Content both theological and practical—practical Christian living finds its basis in biblically correct theology, not in the opinions or decrees of men f. Written for and to both Gentile and Jewish audiences, although Galatians and Hebrews are written primarily to a Jewish audience (2 Peter 3:15-16) 9. Paul’s Theology a. Cannot be disassociated or separated in any way from the rest of the Bible or the teachings of Jesus (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21)—it is a part of the whole, and not different than the theology of any other biblical writer, but rather complementary to the rest of Scripture b. Salvation (Romans 1:16-17; Ephesians 2:8-10), i. Romans 8:29-30, presents in three stages, justification, sanctification, glorification c. The Content of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 2:20-21; Romans 1:4)
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